Thursday, June 12, 2008

Short Ribs & Coleslaw Asian Style

Tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night...so you're probably asking where my pasta dish is. We had it on Monday, but before I talk about dinner last night...just a reminder...Closet CookingKevin is hosting this week. So send your entries to lynch.kevin AT gmail DOT com I can't wait to see the roundup. And this week is the first time I don't have a sneak preview.

Back to last night's dinner...I've always been a fan of beef short ribs. My grandmother and mother used thickly cut ones we call flanken for soups (split pea, being my favorite) and long slow braises, like this beer braised stew.

And many years ago, a trend-setting cousin of mine, ate Korean ribs at one of the first Korean BBQ restaurants in Montreal (I don't remember the name) and wangled the recipe from the chef. I've been making them ever since. These short ribs are sliced thin (about 1/4") across the ribs, so they're great for quick grilling, as long as you use some marinade to break down the tough muscle...and they're addictive! P.S. - some places call them Miami-style short ribs.

Since moving to Halifax though, I haven't seen much of the thinly sliced ones in the grocery stores....that is until President's Choice of Loblaws/ Superstores came up with a Korean BBQ sauce . Naturally, (and I am grateful) the stores are stocking lots of short ribs. They are perfect for BBQ season...sigh...remember...I don't HAVE a BBQ. But I do have other options....the broiler in my oven, a grill pan for on top of the stove...and my trusty Griddler.

Armed with my batch of thinly sliced short ribs, some of that great fermented black bean sauce I whipped up recently for my Chicken & Bok Choy Stir Fry over Pasta, and a fantastic recipe I found on Vanilla Bean Cafe for Asian Coleslaw. I used broccoli coleslaw mix for my version. To round the main course off nicely, I made sweet potato fries...like my wedges, just cut like French fries and roasted for about 5-7 minutes. Actually I did the entire meal in my oven...broiling the ribs and using the heat to cook the sweet potatoes (but hiding the tray under the ribs so the fries wouldn't burn).